Lewis Hamilton Makes a Chinese Meal of it

Formula One racing for 2017 looks set to be very exciting this year with Mercedes and Ferrari very equal on pace. Australia was won by Vettel, could Lewis Hamilton get his revenge in China? Read on to find out more.

Lewis Hamilton Makes a Chinese Meal of it.

Two weeks ago, Ferrari showed how much improved they are in Australia, with Vettel winning the first Grand prix of the season. Lewis Hamilton was second, and his new team mate Bottas was third. This was the first win for Ferrari since 2015, so no wonder Vettel was happy.

Afterwards Lewis praised Ferrari, and said how much he was looking forward to the fight for the championship. In the meantime, Mercedes had to work out why their tyres failed them in the first stint, so that Lewis had to come in too early. He then got stuck behind Verstappen, as it's hard to pass in Australia.

This weekend saw him arrive in Shanghai with even more determination to beat Vettel. There was very little practice runs due to dangerous and rainy conditions , as well as fog, which would stop the emergency helicopter landing if it should be needed.

Lewis was concerned about all the fans who had been cheated of seeing any action, so with permission from the FIA, he took free gifts over and went to meet them in the rain. He was the only driver to do this.

Pole Postion

But by Saturday, the weather had improved, and qualifying took place.Lewis gave it his all, but it was clear to see that Vettel and Raikennon were not going to give in easily. At one point they posted faster times, but in Q3 when it really mattered, Lewis posted his fastest lap, which nobody could challenge, and in doing so, broke the record. His team mate Bottas only missed out by a thousandth of a second for second place, to Vettel. It was his sixty third pole postion

Afterwards Lewis spoke about what a hard race it would be, so far he had not been able to test his new wider tyres in the wet, and he remarked it would be fun doing so in the race. This latest pole position brings him equal now with Senna for the most pole positions on the all time list, and as the season has only just started, there will be more to come.

The Race

On race day, the weather was not as bad as predicted. It had been raining, and the track was wet, but it was not so foggy. Lewis got a very good start, and it was quite surprising to see Vettel so far out of his box at the start for some reason. It was investigated by the stewards, but no further action was taken.

Lewis pulled away right from the start, but it wasn't long before Vettel went in for a tyre change. He took advantage of a safety car situation, but then emerged in about sixth place. The next man behind Lewis was Ricciardo, who tried to chase after Lewis. He was overtaken by his team mate, Verstappen, who had burnt off the field by coming up from sixteenth place.

Verstappen was now just over a second behind Lewis, who was cruising, so Lewis then upped his pace, and eventually Max had to go in for new tyres. Vettel was trying to get back in touch with Lewis, but his pace was held up behind Verstappen until eventually he made a mistake, and Vettel was able to pass him. By that time Lewis had a commanding lead, and he cruised on to victory, never really being challenged by anyone.

His team mate Bottas was very unlucky, as he spun behind the safety car and lost position, having to fight his way back from twelfth to sixth place. Vettel was second and Verstappen was third.

This win, which is his first one of 2017, and the second race. saw him lead every lap, post the fastest lap, and also raise his number of race wins to fifty four. He is now one of the most successful British drivers ever, which makes me very proud of him.

Afterwards a hug was exchanged between Lewis and Vettel, they have such mutual respect for each other. It is also great to see the relationship developing between himself and Bottas, his new team mate. Toto Wolff reports that all is calm at Mercedes now, and it must be great for Lewis to have a fair team mate who does not cheat, and they both have respect for each other. I know Lewis will fight very hard to win the championship, and so will Vettel, and all I am hoping for now is that there are no mechanical failures on his car. Let the fight continue!My thanks to Youtube for the video, and Wikipedia for the images

Comments

Dear Carol ..Methinks you aught to write a book of all your commentaries of Lewis Hamilton , because you are so faithful in following his every move , on and off the track . I am sure he would be happy to read your thoughts on his progress . Happy Easter dear friend .Many Blessings Stella ><

Why don't you test the water ... write a short story ...as you have relayed it to us ... and see what he says .. If you don't try , you will never know . After all , you can write from a ' Fan's ' point of view... I'm sure he would appreciate that . Many blessings Stella ><